Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi re-iterated
concerns that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has not shared power in keeping
with a 2010 agreement that allowed the premier to stay in office a second term.
He called on Maliki to voluntarily step down but also warned the premier that
lawmakers are prepared to continue their attempts to oust the premier by force.

Recent attempts to withdraw confidence from the prime
minister failed when several opposition lawmakers switched sides after meeting
with Maliki. However, a spokesman for Kurdish President Massoud Barzani’s
office said there are
now enough signatures on a petition to move forward with the motion.

Nujaifi also said parliament would soon
formally demand Maliki appear before them to answer questions about
constitutional violations. Maliki returned the favor by calling
on parliament to hold an emergency meeting on similar issues.

Maliki’s State of Law party placed second, behind Iraqiya,
in 2010 elections but months of dealmaking produced a power-sharing agreement
that allowed Maliki to remain in office. His administration has been slow to
implement many of the provisions of that deal, and opposition leaders
repeatedly warned that Maliki was instead concentrating power. In December, as
U.S. troops withdrew, Maliki intensified what appears to be a campaign of
marginalization against Sunni opponents.

One victim of the campaign has been Vice President Tareq
al-Hashemi who is being tried in absentia on terrorism charges. Hashemi has
denied the accusations and questions why the charges, some which date back five
years, were not brought up until after the U.S. withdrawal. The trial has intensified the rift
between Maliki supporters, which includes the judiciary trying Hashemi, and
opposition groups.

Meanwhile, at least three Iraqis were killed and four
more were wounded in light violence.